Wichita eagle., 1887-05-27


asking aid A few shareholders had corn and
they gave it out in small quantities to the
most needy. Sometimes bands of desperate
women attacked a barn or commissary and
carried off the contents. Rob the most do
Gle animal Of her young, slaY her mate
and then starve her, and see if the numbed
faculties do not gradually, but surely, con-
centrate into the one wild instinct of self
preservation.
Poor old Aunt Nina. She would leave
Betty at home and walk many miles across
the desolate pine woods to secure the
crackhngs from the plantation fat gourd or
little dr'hble of molasses in the old brown
jug where Eoenezer oSod to keep the
'sperits.n
remember seeing the good woman ol~>
with handful of crachlings end skirty
piece of dried beef in her apron. and that jug
under her arm. She had walked five miles,
starting early, to secure these, and was now
on her return, and two miles yet from home.
The molasses had fermented under the heat
of q July sun, and the corrcob stopper had
been forced out, and the foaming liquid was
running out.
Do you suppose she let drop so to wastel
No, she caught ii on her lean finger and licked
the finger greedily, and talked of Mack and
Little Dick.
Il haint got time (swipe) to stop a mint,
Qickl but hits jes awastin' tswipe) an it do
look so pitiful Qick) TO see it go TO waste,
;swipe) an them po' children asuferin' Gick)
fur sumkin, ye gimme leetle speck (swipel
taller grease 70 put in il dick to keep hit
f'om aworkin'!n
And then she sat down on the doorstep to
rest q minute while the jug cooled.
mo, hain't hearn nothin' from Little Dick
sence he got in the mountains. don't never
spec to see him no more Five boys have /
sent to the war, an one po' lifeless creetur is
all I've got left; but, oh, mustn't forgit to
tell ye Mac got that ball out n his thigh to-
day, jes' KEEP awurl,in' an agourin at it, tell
it drapped out. do b'lieye the child's agwine
to git well arter all"
And then she resumed her weary tramp
through the woods, Mack and Betty man.
aged to get along somehow, and the good old
mother seemed TO be insensible to fatigue
So it came about that when the broken frag-
ments Les brave legions came struggling
homeward that Mack was able to hobble out
on his clutches, and lean on the rickety gate
and hear the news from some tired veteran
homeward bound.
The last l seed Nv 'im," said great,
bearded warrior, in reply to Aunt 'Mtma's
question, "wus in one o them fights around
Atlanty. We vas whipped, as we gin1y was
long then an broke for a fence. Little Dick
got to the fence an we hollered to i'm to
throw down his musket but he helt on to it.
1 reckon he WIS too skeered to un'Stan. Any
how he jes' KEEP holt on it, an wen he clumb
up on the fence rail gave way, an he fell
back ard, and then the Yankees fred so fas
that there wer'n't no tellin' nothin' about
aterward, an we lost him.
The little crop was planted, and the two
women worked faithfully, and Mack hobbled
about on his crutches and helped them all he
could. Spring was come when the war closed.
Summer days had waxed and waned before
many Of these inmates of northern prisons
found their way back to the old familiar
haunts.
The harvest was not great, but Aunt Nina
and Betty felt that the millennium had come
when they were able to sit down and eat
reasonably hearty meal of bread and bacon,
after the wintery sun had yelled himself be-
hind the riffs of watery clouds that hung above
the tree tops. The long, long, war was over.
The shrill cry of the famished dogs of war no
longer carried terror among the hearts of
these simple out of the world folks hidden
away among the barrens
Many a time and oft they conversed to
gether, and the grieving mother mourned her
dead boys.
81 can bear the loss of Eben an Riley an
Hamp, because I've got use to it, y she would
say But my baby boy Poor little Dick
know the rest aire dead and gone, but /
don't know whei' Dick is
Christmas came. never shall forget that
Christmas time. | shall ever remember how
the poor, fool negroes strutted and paraded
and fired the old muskets, and had big time
cause You see, sab, de bottom rails got on de
top O the fence" they would say And the !
soldiers who had missed three or four Christ |
masses entered into the enjoyment Of this |
with renewed energy.
Christmas eve | was at Aunt 'Mima's house |
/ liked to be with them and hear Mack tel |
about the Shenandoah valley and StonewaD |
Jackson, and all his fund Of adventure md |
perilous escape, and mighty victories and I
crushing defeats.
Aunt Nina sat in the corner busy with her |
knitting Betty was popping some red pop |
corn over the fire, and Mack sat half 10 4
shadow, saving away on his fathers old fiddle, ,
the only piece OF personal property the old /
man left to his sons
Aunt Nina had been buried in thought, |
and | was a little startled when she spoke SC .
suddenly
children wouldn't you all be glad il Little 1
Dick would come h0rel Tor il seems to me |
that Id he riconciled to all the rest ef he
would jes' come home That's all | ask Of the
good Lord. Ses' 10 see my baby boy again"
Then your wish is granted, : came voice
from the door, for your boys come home.
and in another breath Little Dick was clasped 4
N the arms of mother and sister
l shall not attempt to describe the scene.
viii leave all that 70 the facile pen Of the
emotional novelist, who has the trick Of por.
raging such things ] cannot for the life Of /
ne remember to this cay who il was that
-escued the frying pan fun Of popcorn from
he fire ] do not know bow come the
eddie bridge down, and several strands
# hair broken in the bow know that
after all was over we began 10 realize
haT Little Dick had grown wonderfully
all He had added nearly half foot 10
lis stature. and his fuzzy beard had devel
ped into a nice brown beard He had been
n a northern prison ard Ia q Federal hos
,ital and lie had walked the streets Of many
northern city. and be had long, long
tory 10 tell But be had come hack AuIt
Nina seemed 70 have grown ten years
Grass grew on the graves Of her
,ther boys. and she cherished their memory,
,ut TIE living presence Of her baby boy
and c0Tufortad her.
And now. am ing TO tel you conf33sn-
ially, that this story * every word true.
'ould carry you to big Iambzr mill On the
Inc q q outbern railroad. and coaId shox
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